


better to walk free for a day

by AnotherAmericanTragedy_20



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker Has Issues, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Angst and Feels, BAMF Anakin Skywalker, Friendship, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Hurt Anakin Skywalker, Multi, Time Travel, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:21:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27690623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherAmericanTragedy_20/pseuds/AnotherAmericanTragedy_20
Summary: The Clone Wars end differently. This changes things. Most particularly, Anakin Skywalker. And now, flung three years into the past, he has the chance to relive it- through the life of a clone trooper. The life of the Chosen One just got a whole lot stranger- but no one, not even Murphy’s law, could have predicted this.
Relationships: 501st Legion & Anakin Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Clone Troopers, Anakin Skywalker (Past) & Anakin Skywalker (Future), CC-2224 | Cody & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Finn & CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 57
Kudos: 116





	1. the start of the beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Yeaaaaah.... so, remember when I had three multi chapter fics going on? Well now it’s four. Hahahaha- HELP ME
> 
> Anyway- this is the most self-indulgent piece of shit I’ve ever wrote (lies lies lies) so just bear with me. I know this first chapter is really short, but the next chapter will be much longer, promise!
> 
> Enjoy!!!!

At the start, there was nothing. It seems like a cliché made up. After all, how could there be nothing. There was always something. Technically, wasn’t nothing something?

You can believe whatever tale you like. Adoni created the world in seven days. There was a bang, and we all came into existence. There was always something, but we are merely living, and not worthy enough to find out. 

But in this story, it started with nothing. Nothing, and then  _ life.  _ But there wasn’t life, there were no stars to shine and waves to crash and rocks to fall. How could there be? There needed to be a  _ force  _ to do that. So the universe made one.

So many years later, too many to even begin to think of a number to count, the force noticed something was wrong. Yes, they had their life. They had their green plants and their buzzing insects and the hearts that beat. But there was no balance. Yes, for life, there was death, and for sky, there was night, but those were just things.

Because, in the eye of the force, you see, human lives were just  _ things.  _ Everything was just a  _ thing.  _ The force itself was just a thing. 

So they made someone who could be more than just a thing. Someone who could be a  _ lover mentor student soldier warrior fighter breather helper commander fixer worker flier liver. _

And they made that choice, that fatal decision, and something around everywhere  _ swirled _ , and flourished, and sprung, and grew. And a distance away, one forever too far and yet all too close, Shmi Skywalker woke up with a gasp. 

_ lover mentor student soldier warrior fighter breather helper commander fixer worker flier liver _

He stared at the battle ground, broken.  _ No no no no no.  _

There was a fire somewhere in the distance, he knew. It’s flames spread across Coruscant, licking the air as it greedily sucked up the oxygen they once all needed.

_ They. _

He remembered when he’d gotten his chip implanted, with her arms around him. She’d tried so hard to save him, protect him, but it was fruitless. She died.  _ She didn’t hold him.  _

He remembered that first time he had been gone for more than a month. He tried to explain, and bless her, did she  _ listen _ . But she didn’t understand.  _ She didn’t hear him. _

He remembered seeing her, over that holotransmittion. Her Montrals had grown,  _ she had grown _ , she was dressed in blues and gray, and looked so mature-  _ she didn’t need him. _

He remembered their first meeting. He had held out his hand, they had been introduced, and that was that.  _ That was that,  _ sang the force. But,  _ he didn’t want him. _

And now he was all that was left. Just him, a broken shell of a man, on a broken battle ground, with broken frames of life spread all around him. Only, it wasn’t just. 

Just  _ it _ . 

And he dropped to his knees, and he screamed. Screamed for his mother, screamed for his wife, screamed for his sister, screamed for his brothers, screamed for his  _ other half. _

And in that moment, the force knew one thing. It had to fix this.   


So it did. 

  
  



	2. the beginning of the start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another one! I’m sorry this took me so long to hash out, I’ve been working on a ton of mini one shots, and my Master fanfiction, “i write sins not tragedies.” But here’s another chapter! I’m sorry it’s not very long, but there’s only so much angst I can write in a day. Plus, it’s really hard writing new Anakin’s character, because he’s a lot different than canon Anakin, but I don’t want to make it that clear yet. Anyway, enjoy!

Anakin woke up gasping. He tried to place his hand on his hip, only to feel his elbow brush against a cold metal wall. He tried to sit up, and he hit his head against the top of the-  _ thing _ , he was in. He looked around, not that there was much to see. 

It was practically black, the only light coming from the small chrono stationed on the circle at the end of the  _ cylinder  _ he was in. Cylinder?

He reached out in the force- and almost gave a cry out in pain, biting his lip to muffle the noise. It was- there was- was that-  _ oh force _ .

And then the memories came crashing down on him, piling on top of one another  _ faster and faster and faster and _ \- he let the force expand underneath his will. He pushed the evermoving currents forward, and back, and then actually cried when he felt  _ their  _ presences.

She was there, full of curiosity and sarcasm and joy and brightness-  _ Ahsoka _ .

She was there, bursting with love and affection and calmness-  _ Padmé. _

He was there, full of knowledge and dry wit and compassion-  _ Obi-Wan. _

They were there, breathing and talking and walking and  _ alive _ .

But there was something else too- something that didn’t make sense. He pushed out in the force- and met a brick wall. No. It wasn a wall. Well, maybe to others, it was, but not to him. And then he realized- it was  _ his  _ brick wall. Oh sweet force.

And then, in that moment, full of sorrow and loss and devastation and revelation, he knew: he was in the kriffing past.

And he could just tell. There was a way all of their force signatures pulsed- still full of brightness and spark and determination- they had not experienced the full extent of the war. They hadn’t experienced  _ MortisJabiimZygerriaMaulDeathWatchSatineFivesChipsAhsoka-  _ and oh, wasn’t that poetic. 

Here he was- inexplicably stuck in the past, and for a second- he had that hope, that  _ knowledge _ of getting them back, and they could be a family- and, but no. That wasn’t his Snips, his Angle, his Master, that was a different Anakin’s family. And he was that Anakin once,  _ but not anymore _ .

He used whatever wiggle room he had to thunk his head dramatically against the pillow, not that anyone would notice. And that’s when he noticed. There wasn’t any hair he could feel brushing against his shoulders, against the nape of his neck. He lifted a hand in front of his face.  _ Oh no no no no no.  _ Well, damn.

Because he had seen that hand before. That hand, on (and oh, did it hurt to think their names) Rex, Cody, Fives, Fox, Kix, Boil, Wolffe, Hevy, Echo, and millions of others. His brothers, working and animated and breathing and talking-  _ his brothers, dead and cold and hands motionless where they rested against their blasters “Good soldiers follow orders.” _

As he stared at the rounded ceiling, he thought,  _ “So let me get this straight. I’m in the kriffing past. In the future, where I’m from, everyone I know and love is dead. I brought balance to the force- and they repaid me by killing my karing family. Well, fuck them. So now, I’m in the past, with my still-alive younger self, wife, best/mentor/father/brother, and my sister. Along with dozens of my soldiers/brothers who trusted me with their lives. And now I am one of those men.” _

If this wasn’t karma, he didn’t know what was. But karma for what, exactly? The way he let them all down, allowing himself to be swayed by Palpatine’s manipulations? The way he slaughtered the Tusken Raiders like animals, committing homicide? They way he risked thousands of lives just to save one? How he disregarded the present tense, only focusing on the past and future? They way he took all of his troopers for granted, even though he tried desperately not to?

He took a steady, measured breath out. There were very few times when he  _ truly _ meditated, but this was one of them. He let himself relax into the familiar pushes and waves of the force. He settled into the familiar presence. 

_ Breathe _ . His inner Obi-Wan said.

_ Ask for help _ . That was Padmé. 

_ Go do something!  _ There was Ahsoka.

**_Trust the force._ ** Oh, he hadn’t heard that voice in a while. 

_ “Well, nice of you to show up, voice that totally isn’t in my head. Am I to assume this was you?” _

He could practically  _ see _ Qui-Gon laughing.

**_“No. I’m sorry Anakin, this wasn’t up to me. I am to be a guide, however.”_ **

_ “Oh, of course you are. So tell me then, if you don’t mind,  _ what the fuck is going on?!” 

**_“It’s quite simple, really. You’re in the past, as one of the clones.”_ **

_ “That’s all you can give me?” _

**_“Your name is CT-8120.”_ **

_ “Helpful.” _

**_“I’d like to think so.”_ **

_ “Haven’t I already done enough?! I completed your kriffing prophecy, I brought the balance, and everyone died, and now I was finally going to be able to rest, even though I  _ failed _ , and I would’ve seen them all in the force, but no, now I’m in the past, and I have to watch them interact with my former self, while I get to just be a shell of that person, while I just si-” _

**_“Anakin, don’t you see? This is your second chance.”_ **

_ “But it’s not! I’m done! I can’t bring them back, I can’t save-” _

**_“But you can save your past self. You can save your sister, and your wife, and Obi-Wan.”_ **

_ “But what’s the point?” _

**_“If you’re really asking me that, then I am disappointed, Ani.”_ **

_ “I- just don’t-” _

**_“You can save them. You can’t save yourself, but you can save them.”_ **

_ “But they’re not my them!” _

**_“If Obi-Wan was here-”_ **

_ “Don’t- don’t do that. You don’t get to-” _

**_“You’re right, I don’t. But I am. It’s up to you to make this decision, Ani. I’ll be here, waiting, if you need me.”_ **

_ “No, Qui-Gon- wait- don’t!”  _ But he was already gone.  **(A/N: By the way, Qui-Gon is Qui-** **_Gone_ ** **, get it? I am so proud of that one- you can’t take it from me.)**

He sank back into the mattress he was lying on.  _ No wonder Rex was always able to sleep on the ground like this- I would’ve preferred that, honestly. _

And Anakin didn’t know what to do. He had this chance. This beautiful, perfect, incredible chance- but it wasn’t for him. He knew what he should do. He should be the martyr,  _ yet again _ . He knew that he should be jumping with joy to save them-  _ to even have the chance to save them _ . 

But part of him, that little selfish part, the arrogant part, the power-crazed part, argued,  _ But they’re not my family. They’re another Anakin’s family. Just save yourself the heartache now. Leave it.  _

And then Qui-Gon’s voice brought him back. 

_ If Obi-Wan was here-  _

Because he knew what Obi-Wan would do if he were in his shoes. He would drop everything in less than a heartbeat, and sacrifice  _ everything _ , just to protect them. So he knew what he would do.

_ If Obi-Wan was here-  _

He would make a plan. Make a list of what to do, how to accomplish it. 

_ MortisJabiimZygerriaMaulDeathWatchSatineFivesChipsAhsoka _

His future self would go to Mortis alone. And somehow, he’d be with him. Yeah, that’s how he’d stage it. It would be just the two of them that ended up there- somehow. He'd work out the details.

Rako Hardeen would still exist. But he’d find someway- inadvertently, of course, convince Obi-Wan to tell Anakin and Ahsoka.  _ If he’d just told him-  _ no, he couldn’t focus on the what-ifs from his timeline. Maybe he’d talk about his brothers (the clones), and how much they relied on each other- how they were everything to each other.  _ He always said my rebuffed puppy-eyes were an atomic weapon by themselves. _

Zygerria would be different. It would go to plan. He would make sure of it.  _ His sister- being jeered at, like an object, his brother, broken faced staring at the ground- collar around his neck-  _

Maul- he didn’t know what he’d do about that yet. Maybe, just maybe- no. It was impossible. But- no. Well, he’d come back to that idea later.

Satine- and the Death watch- well, just how far back in the future was he?

**_“Just before you got Ahsoka. Remember, a few months before that mission Rex went on to Rishi Moon?”_ ** Okay, then. Well, thank you, Qui-Gon, for deciding to pipe up now. 

So he couldn’t stop the creation of Death Watch- but he could stop it. And save Satine. And then maybe Obi-Wan would come to his force-damned senses and admit he loves her.

Fives wouldn’t die- because he would get rid of the chips first. He’d get some- he’d get some brain injury, and they’d have to scan his brain- or something- and they’d discover it, and then the clones would be free. But if Palpatine-

_ Palpatine.  _ He wasn’t even going to begin with Palpatine. 

But if  _ he _ caught wind of what they were doing- he’d just execute Order 66 and-

_ They were screaming. And Rex was fine- he’d had his taken out. Anakin would have to ask him about that later. But then he saw Rex’s pained gasp as Cody raised his arm- and Rex was trying to talk him out of it- but it hit Rex in the head, and Obi-Wan sobbed from where he was back to back with Anakin, because his friend- like Rex- was truly gone. And Ahsoka was next to him, and shouting, and yelling, and crying- and the fire spread around them and Anakin kept losing them and then there was Sidious- and Dooku and Grievous and he raised his lightsaber about his head and ran- _

No- no. That wouldn’t work. He lay there in the dark, and sobbed. Some time later (which was really only minutes) he turned on his side, burying his face into the stone hard mattress.   


_ What ifs would come later.  _

Right now, he was going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!!! Sorry for the wait!
> 
> EDIT: Also, I’m so sorry for the wait, but the next chapter of I write sins not tragedies will be out tomorrow instead of today, like I intended. Sorry about that!


	3. the start of the new era (that doesn't have you in it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Hevy with all of my heart, but he only appears in one episode, so I kind of sort of cut his character completely. I’m sorry!!!! I wanted Anakin to be in the same squadron as his former men, and Hevy was the best character to take out. I’m sorry!
> 
> Okay, so I probably messed up which trooper says what, but none of them have their tattoos or haircuts, so cut me some slack, and take it with a grain of salt, please! I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> {I know things seem like they’re sticking too close to canon, and it will start to differentiate soon… just let me get through the first few chapters. Clone Cadets will pretty much be the same (with the exception of Hevy, sorry!) but Rookies should hopefully be a little different from what you were expecting, plus, we gotta make Anakin- sorry, Blue- Rex’s favorite somehow. Enjoy!}

The worst part about being the literal child of the force, Anakin decides, is that it can still give you have of your force abilities, but take away the most useful ones. Like, sure- shielding was useful. And  _ okay,  _ having increased sensitivity, not the worst skill to have. 

But what about the telepathy? He  _ likes  _ using mind control-  _ force suggestions.  _ And telekinesis? That was like his most used skill! And  _ sure _ , take away those things, but leave him with the visions.  _ Thanks a lot.  _ Seriously. The Force should have like a ‘worst dad of the year award,’ or something, Anakin decides. 

Well, no use dwelling on it now.  _ Even though,  _ it would make getting to the Citadel so much easier. But it  _ hurt  _ to be next to Cutup, Echo, and Fives.  _ Especially since he was the one who had to-  _ nope. Not going there. 

Still, gritting his teeth, and fidgeting with the blaster-  _ which is still so much worse than a ‘saber-  _ he thinks he really starts to understand his men better. Which is depressing. Because he’ll never see his version of his men again. He’s still getting used to the green uniform- and the fact that he’s in the past.

And sweet  _ force-  _ he didn’t know how young the troopers were before they were sent out to war. He knew they had accelerated growth, but- ten?! And he thought Ahsoka had been young.  _ Force,  _ he (should be, at least) was only twenty-three!

“You’re clear!” He heard. Someone else shouted,

“Cover fire!” He ran forward, and started blasting. A hollow, metallic voice spoke over the speakers.

_ “Attention, this is command. You must break through enemy lines and take the tower.”  _ CT-21-0408 spoke, who the other’s had just started calling ‘Echo.’ Echo didn’t want it to stick, but Anakin knew it would. And eventually, he would start to love it. 

“Comlink just relayed orders from-” He started. 

“We all heard the orders, Echo.” Fives said.

“Stop calling me that!”

“Stop repeating every order!”

“Can we just focus on the Citadel?” He called out, even though he knew it would probably just be ignored. “Let’s just take out these droids!” 

“CT-782, you’re breaking formation.” Anakin had to bite his cheek to stop from grinning.  _ There he was.  _

“Just trust me!” He used his Rotary Blaster Cannon to clear the path. He had realized, with a pang, that he had taken Hevy’s place. He hadn’t known the Trooper well. He wished he had. He continued to clear the path, hearing his troopers-  _ his fellow vod-  _ move behind him. He couldn’t stop the grin this time when he heard Echo and Fives arguing over Fives’ name.

He marched forward, sighing at the bickering behind him. He pulled back, resting against one of the small walls they could use for cover.

“Can we argue about this later? We’re never gonna make it out of here if all we do is bicker!”

“Oh yeah? And who made you in charge, Mr. Big Shot?” He groaned, and propped his gun over the top of the wall to keep fighting. He tossed his gun out of the way, in favour of the smaller pistol he kept at his side.  _ Thank the force for increased sensitivity.  _

He winced when Echo was hit with one of the stun-bolts. He could sense the others dropping fast. He jumped over the wall, and raced towards the Citadel, firing at the droids, only for his foot to snag on a fallen one. He groaned as his back hit the floor, raising his hands up in defeat. 

_ And I thought meditation was hard. _

As they walked away, he picked up his two blasters, and rolled his neck.

“We almost had it this time.” He was too tired to focus on who said what.

“Oh, yeah, and we all look nothing alike either.” He snorted, quietly. 

“Sorry ‘bout the mess, 99.” Anakin said, as he walked past the older clone.

“Uh, it’s okay, boys. Nice try.” He gave a small smile back.

***

He slammed his helmet down into the locker a little harder than what was necessary, he knew. But the boys wouldn’t get it together, and if they actually failed this time… well. 

“You, uh, shouldn’t worry, because, y’know, most clones pass, and all.” Anakin sighed, and gave a small twitch of his lip nonetheless.

“Yeah, but not everyone.” He responded, briefly touching the bald man’s shoulder. 

“Guys, we’ve got to follow orders, come on!” Echo said, exasperated. 

“I don’t know, I think it went rather well.” Fives commented, dryly.

“Quit joking around.” Cutup responds. 

“Can we please stop arguing?” Droidbait says, breaking.

“Yeah, well, it’s a lot worse if _I_ fail, so can we actually  _ try?”  _ Anakin asked. When the other clones had first started looking at him pityingly, at first, he didn’t know why. Until he realized. The force could be that cruel. Because he had blue eyes. The same, karking blue eyes as his past lifetime. And if that reminder wasn’t enough, he was a genetic mutilation. He had to work twice as hard, just to stop himself from being killed.  _ Oh, Rex. _

This sobered the rest of the boys up for a second, before,

“Well, you’re getting in my way, Echo.”

“In  _ our way.”  _

“Well, if you wanna be the best, you gotta think like one.”

“I’m thinking’ like an ARC trooper.” 

“ARC troopers follow orders.” Cutup glared at Echo. Anakin sighed as he pressed the button, letting his thin bed seemingly shoot out of the wall. He clambered on, and let his throbbing head rest against the wall. 

“Care to repeat that,  _ Echo?”  _ Oh sweet force. Echo tried to ignore him, and walk away. Cutup roughly grabbed his shoulder, and punched him. The encouragement from Fives and Droidbait wasn’t helping. He gave sleep one last longing thought, before pushing it out of his mind, and jumping down. 

“Guys, guys, come on, we’re better than this!” He was shoved out of the way, and the fighting resumed. Thankfully (or not, judging by his  _ disappointed  _ force signature) Bric separated the two before they could do any serious damage.

“If you two would focus on fighting droids as much as you do fighting each other, you might stand a chance out there.” Echo, at least, had the decency to look ashamed.

“Sorry, Master Chief.” Cutup, not so much.

“Well, Master Chief, maybe our problems come from our training.”  _ Shut up, Cutup! You could literally get us killed!  _ “I’d rather be taught by a Jedi than some mercenary bounty hunter.”

_ Hello! Former (Future? Current?) Jedi here, with some nifty tricks he’d love to teach you!  _ Bric slowly backed Cutup into the wall. 

“Jedi don’t have the time to train grunts like you.”  _ If you didn’t know, Jedi and Time are very fickle concepts. I mean, look at me.  _ “That’s why they hired me!” He made a motion, and Fives and Droidbait followed them down, where they all stood to attention. “Listen, boys, when you were assigned to me, I had high hopes for you. Well- most of you.” Anakin shifted back guiltily.

He knew that he put a target on his team’s back. He hadn’t been there that long. (Well, Anakin hadn’t been there that long. Blue had. At least he had gotten a vague sense of Blue’s memories.) But even still, he was the outcast. The underdog. The  _ mistake.  _ Because that’s all he ever was, in either timeline.  _ Just a mistake.  _

“Now, we’re approaching the end of your training, and ya haven’t advanced nearly enough. Even this bad batcher 99,” He pointed to him, and Anakin felt a rush of protectiveness rush over him.  _ They were the same. Two mutations, struggling to make it out of this war alive.  _ And in Anakin’s first life, he hadn’t. “He has more sense than you guys do, and he’s a  _ maintenance  _ clone.” 

“You-you don’t give them enough credit.” Oh, why was it everyone he interacted with that had no self-preservation instincts? Okay, that was probably hypocritical of him to say, but whatever. 99 lowered his eyes to the ground after his outburst.

“You’re all a waste of my time.” Bric announced, orange eyes flashing with frustration. Anakin felt a rush of anger take over him, and he stepped forward, but it was Fives who held him back, shaking his head. He sighed, letting his head drop to his chest. 

_ Just a mutation making a stupid mistake.  _

***

“Gentlemen, who wants to be an ARC trooper?” Anakin felt queasy, standing outside while the storm raged just beyond.  _ Hello, child of the desert.  _ He hated standing still. He hated this. It felt like his whole world was turned upside down (which it was.) But now, he could be something new.  _ Blue.  _ Yeah, he’d be Blue. No longer Anakin. He had a new life, with new brothers.  _ Not Obi-Wan.  _ He’d face that truth another time. 

Anak- Blue, stood straighter. Along with the rest of his  _ fellow  _ troopers, he stomped his foot, repeating,

“I do, sir!” Bric grinned.

“You’ll have to pass your final test first. I want you to meet Commander Colt, of the Rancor Battalion.” The Commander stepped forward.

“I want you troopers to remember, we’re shoulder-to-shoulder on those front lines… Brothers.”  _ That’s right.  _ Blue acknowledged with a slight pang.  _ You’re not a General anymore. You’re just a soldier. You don’t hold any rank. You can’t step out of line, and expect there not to be consequences.  _ “And sometimes we may quarrel, but no matter what, we are united. Rule one: We fight together. So who’s ready to step up first? Let’s start with the unit that ran the practice test in record time… ARC trooper time.”

“Think he means us, boys?” Blue asked, sarcastically. 

“Bravo Unit, step up.” Droidbait rolled his eyes as the troopers stood to perfect attention.

“Well, bravo for Bravo Squad.” Blue sighed.  _ Can’t you just- be happy for them, I guess?  _ It was easier to be mad than to express his own feelings of jealousy. Colt-  _ Commander  _ Colt- continued,

“Show an ARC trooper how it’s done.” They stomped their feet, put their helmets on, and walked out in single file, all in perfect synchronization. With every second Blue spent in the past (his past? His new present?), he grew more appreciative of the clones that used to serve under his command. 

“Come on boys. Maybe we can learn something.”

“Shut up, Echo.” They all chorused. 

***

They all watched in appreciation as Bravo Squad moved through the course. 

“We’re better than these guys.” Well, most of them were in appreciation. 

“He’s gonna make it!” Blue watched with intent eyes as they pressed forward. He knew, as an individual, he was more skilled than any of the troopers there. But as a team- well. He was used to fighting along two people. And they (in his timeline) were both dead. They watched as one of the Bravo Squad figures triumphantly held up the object they were all aiming to get. They all locked eyes, four sets of brown and one blue, before putting on their helmets, ready to begin.

They got into the lift. 

“We can do this guys.”

“All we have to do is follow orders.” The heart of the problem, right there. Some were treating the rest of them like brothers. Some friends. Other teammates. That wouldn’t work. For this, they needed to be one concise group. They couldn’t just have a common goal. They had to have a common plan on how to get there.

Bravo Squad mocked them as they made their way onto the test course.

“Check it out, guys. Time to watch the Dominoes fall.” Blue grit his teeth, but said nothing. 

“They are so much better than us.” Droidbait commented sadly. 

“Hey, knock it off. We’ll show them. It’ll be fine.” He tried to reassure. They started the course. He immediately shot down a droid, and tossed the Rotary Blaster away, grabbing the fallen droids blaster.  _ Better, but it’s no ‘saber.  _ He started trying to clear a path. The others fell behind the wall-hedge thingy-  _ wall-hedge-thingy, wow brain, nice going.  _

They pressed forward, and the arguing began, but he heeded it no mind.  _ If he could just get to the Citadel…  _

“Man down!”  _ Oof, I bet it was Droidbait.  _

“It’s okay. Cover me! I’ve got a clear shot at the Citadel!” He pressed forward, rolling and ducking. He knew it must look unorthodox to the other clones. He didn’t care.  _ Ataru  _ was the way to go for this. Until he heard Droidbait groan in pain. 

“Guys, I think he’s injured!” Echo called. 

"We’ve got to get moving!” Fives and Cutup pressed ahead. He glanced back at Echo and Droidbait. He shot a droid. Glance. Droid. 

“Will he be okay?” He asked.  _ Damn it Skywalker, no attachments.  _ But… he wasn’t Skywalker anymore, was he? He could have attachments.  _ He could have attachments!  _ That’s when the stun blast hit him in the leg. He groaned as he crumpled to the ground. 

“We’re gonna pass this time.” Fives spoke. That’s when the training course shut down. “Okay, I spoke too soon.” He let out a rough breath as he forced himself to sit up, clutching his knee to his chest. He heard Commander Colt disapprovingly reprimand the rest of his squad, but he couldn’t make out the words. All he heard was the other bounty hunter- the nice one, he liked him, say,

“I’m sorry Domino Squad. This is an automatic failure.”

***

He knew he shouldn’t be following Echo and Fives around, much less stalking them without their permission. But they were going to see Master Ti- no. General Ti was all she was now, he supposed. 

“General… may we have a word?” He could hear from behind the closed doors. Increased sensitivity wasn’t worthless. 

“You are here to discuss your squad, aren’t you?” Her accented voice replied. 

“How did you-” 

“Ah, Jedi, mate.” It was hard to tell who was speaking, but he was pretty sure it was Echo responding to Fives. 

“One doesn’t need to be a Jedi to feel the stress on your mind.” Shaak replied. He could sense she had finally turned around to face them.

“General… we would like to request a transfer to another squad.” Echo said, tentatively.  _ No!  _ No, Blue wasn’t about to let that happen. 

“Bravo Squad, perhaps?” Fives asked. Shaak paused for a second, before replying.

“I am a Jedi, where the individual and the group are one and the same.” He almost snorted.  _ Sure. Then why was I an outcast my entire Padawan career?  _ “Much like you clones.”

“Which is why Fives and I are looking out for each other.” Echo tried.  _ Nice attempt.  _

“As individuals. Not as a group.” Oh, he missed Shaak. She was one of the first to- not now. Focus, focus. “You are where you need to be. Solve your problems as a whole, not as individuals.” He could just imagine her purple eyes flashing with understanding in a way neither of the clones could. 

“I have decided to allow you and the rest of your squad to take the test again tomorrow.” He knew Echo and Fives were sharing a look. The door slid open, and he rushed to get out of sight. Echo and Fives walked out, talking softly. 

“You may come in now.” Shaak called, softly. Blue scanned the hallway. No one was there. “Yes, trooper, I mean you.” Blue hesitantly stepped around the corner he had hid behind. “As your fellow squadmates pointed out, I am a Jedi. But I’m sure you heard that.” Blue couldn’t stop his cheeks from flushing. “Come.” She called again, from where she stood at the edge of the viewing platform above the dark training room.

He scrambled over to the open door. He stood hesitantly at the back.

“Come forward, trooper.” She gestured to the stop next to her. He stepped forward, keeping his footfalls light as he timidly put his hands on the railing. “They call you Blue, do they not?” She didn’t look at him, and for that, he was grateful. 

“Y-yes, General.” Was he stuttering?

“You, too, want to transfer to another squad?”  _ What? No!  _

“No, of course not, Ma- er, General.” Shaak hummed. 

“You are quite different, Blue.”

“General?”

“I’ve seen you on the training course. You are a natural leader. You understand what most do not. Tell me, soldier, why is it that your team cannot come together?”  _ Don’t screw this up, Blue.  _

“They, um, General, well, we’re not a team, see?” Shaak raised her eyelids slightly, as if a ‘go on’ gesture. “We’re not a team, not all of us, anyway. Echo thinks of us as a team. But Fives thinks of us as friends. Droidbait, too. Cutup thinks of us as brothers.” He could swear he saw Shaak grinning.

“Very observant, trooper. And what of you?”

“Me, sir?” He feigned confusion the best he could. The more he seemed like the average trooper, the better.

“What is your team to you?” 

“I- I don’t know, sir.” Shaak was disappointed, he could tell. 

“Very well, trooper.” He lingered awkwardly at the edge of the platform with Shaak, silent.  _ Should I talk more, or…?  _

“Ahsoka Tano.” 

“Pardon?”  _ What does Snips have to do with this?  _

“She’s an initiative, at the Jedi temple. I was thinking of taking her as my Padawan.” 

“You’d, umm, I’m sorry, what does that mean, exactly?” The Togruta gave a small chuckle.

“Of course, trooper, I forgot. It means she would be under my care, and I would train her, until she became a full Jedi Knight.” He nodded, pretending this was the first time he heard the information. “Unless, you have any other suggestions?”  _ Was she seriously asking me?  _ Wait- no. This was his chance. To make sure Skyguy and Snips existed in both timelines. 

“I don’t know many Jedi, General. But there is that one on the holonews, often? The- what do they call him, the Hero With No Fear?” Shaak Ti’s eyes widened a fraction. 

“I… see, trooper. Thank you for the suggestion.” Blue nodded.  _ Please let it have worked. Please let it have worked.  _ “You should go get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day for you and the rest of your squad, after all.” He nodded, desperate to leave the room, all of a sudden. He nodded respectfully, and turned around to walk out.

“Oh, and Blue?” She called, just before he could walk away. He turned back to her. “You are going to be a fine trooper, I am sure of it.”

The door closed behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> The next update of i write sins not tragedies should be up Sunday, I’m so sorry I missed a week, but I wasn’t happy with the chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience. 
> 
> Merry Christmas to anyone who celebrates! (I can’t believe I didn’t wish my Jewish viewers a happy Hanukkah, I’m literally Jewish (oops.) If you celebrate something else, I hope you have a very happy holiday too! I know it’s hard (it’s killing me not being able to see my grandma) but please stay safe! 
> 
> Safe, healthy, and happy holiday wishes to you all. Thanks for reading!


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